Chapter 02 of 14
Landing day
Airport to bed: transport, a phone number, and your first cash.
Getting into the city
Da Nang airport sits inside the city, which is rare and very convenient. You are about fifteen minutes from the beach.
Use Grab, the local version of Uber, or Be, which works the same way. Download both before you fly and add a card, because setting up an account on airport wifi with no sleep is miserable.
Grab motorbike drivers cannot always pick you up at the terminal doors. You may need to walk out past the airport gate. Car pickups are simpler.
Getting a phone number
Get a SIM on day one. Everything here runs through your phone, including paying for things.
The three networks are Viettel, Mobifone and Vinaphone. Viettel has the best coverage outside the city. In town all three are fine.
| What | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tourist data packages, 15 to 30 days | 60,000 to 300,000 VND |
| A common monthly city plan | around 150,000 VND |
| The SIM card itself | 10,000 to 20,000 VND |
Checked 2026-08-02
About the word unlimited
Read the small print. Most unlimited plans give you about 1 GB a day at full speed and then slow you down to something close to useless. Others cap you at 5 GB to 30 GB in total and still call it unlimited. If you work online, ask how many gigabytes per day at full speed, and take a bigger package than you think you need.
Buy at an official Viettel, Mobifone or Vinaphone shop rather than the airport, which costs more. Bring your passport, it is required by law. Convenience stores sell them too, but registration is sometimes done badly there, and an unregistered SIM can stop working later.
Where to sleep the first three nights
Do not sign anything on your first day. Book three or four nights somewhere cheap and central, then go and look at places with your own eyes. The next chapter tells you what to look for.